The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1887-11-19

no trace except the notification-board
and shaft. and it gave me the creeps
now and then to think that they might
be dead. But we were not in frame
of mind to let sentiment interfere with
business
Il suppose we had been there for .
couple If weeks when provisions be-
gan tn run short We didn't want to
both leave the claim at once. so it was
finally arranged that Charley go down
the creek to a camp about fifty miles
away and bring supply. He took
both burros and started of. ca,cu-
lated it would take him aweek to make
the trip. and time hung heavy ON my
hands. tried to work little on the
shaft. The formation was very hard.
and we had rugged up sort of cross
bar ladder. ] would go down this. fill
the bucket. climb to the surface and
| pull it up.
"At about noon of the second day
after he left / was startled at what !
thought was a man crossing little
gulch a half mile away. only had a
view of it between two rocks, and what
ever it was passed SO quickly that !
was not sure. However. waited for
a couple of hours, and then, seeing
nothing further, concluded was mis-
taken, and went down into the shaft
l filled the bucket with very heavy ore,
climbed up. and had it about half
raised, when man came walking up
the creek bed toward me. Then 1 knew
that was right before.
HE was an ugly-looking customer,
big and brawny, with fat, Scandina-
Wan face, and carried Winchester on
his arm. l had little stick that /
slipped into the windlass handle near
the axle, to keep it from turning back
ward. and, leaving the bucket just
where it was, suspended half way up.
started toward the cabin to get my
arms. He covered me with his repeat
| ing rife and ordered me to halt
"'What are you doing on my claim?
he said.
~ reckon you can see,' l replied.
putting as good face on it as I posi-
bly, could
".You mean you jumped it, you
cursed thief
".No. don't There wasn't enough
work on it to hold it, and it was as
much mine as auybody's.'
"'You lie!'
He looked at me over the sights
with his wicked grcenish eyes for full
= minute. Then he said:
".Did you ever prayP'
"'Yes.' faltered.
"sThen pray now. I'll give you two
minutes to do it.
by that time my mind was clear
enough to take in the whole situation.
and had no doubt but he intended to
murder me then and there. With me
out of the way there would be no one
to testify to the insufficient work, and
would simply be regarded-if the
story of my death was ever told-as a
claim-jumper who had been justly dealt
with. l felt my knees begin to trem-
BILE. and tried another rock
"'H you kill me, said, my partner
will be back and SEQ that you hang for
it.
"'rll fix your partner the same
way. you claim-jumping cur
"True enough. Nothing could be
easier than to assassinate Burke on his
return, and we had so jealoualy guarded
the secret of our trip that no one would
know where to search for us. We
would simply disappear, as hundreds
of prospectors do, never to he seen by
men again, and speedily to be forgot
ten. had no hope of mercy from the
instant looked into that mans cruel
face. / felt. with sickening qualm
and wild drumming in my ears, that
my time had come.
"'Oh! for Heavens sake, don't muir
der mel cried. 4 will CO.
''The man made no reply. For a mo-
ment my head SWAN, and then. with a
sudden return of vision that was excru-
ciating in its clearness. I saw him stoop
slightly, rest the gun-barrel over the
windlass-handfe, and marked even that
slight contraction of the eyelid that
always just precedes shot The next
instant there was crash, an explosion
and cry all mingled into one. I saw
the man turning head over heels down
the embankment. the Winchester flying
through the air. and all the while heard
a loud. monotonous whirring noise that
was like some gigantic clock running
down.
"Idid not realize it at the time, bui
this is what had happened: When he
rested his gun across the windlass he